Chapter 1
**Trigger warning: This story contains implications of severe child abuse, along with references to rape, torture, and murder. While I hope that you will wish to read this story, please be aware of these things. Also, if you have not read the previous Sapphire Wings books, you may feel lost with some of this one, so I recommend reading at least Sapphire Flame first.**
The strange turn in my destiny began with a trip to Los Angeles.
I was taking in the sidewalk full of people walking by as I sat at the café table and glanced out of the window. It may have been nearly fifty years since I’d last been to this area, but that didn’t matter. Los Angeles, the so-called City of Angels, was still very much a glamorous town filled with people, hopes, and dreams.
Amused green eyes were watching me from across the small table, and I didn’t miss the smile that accompanied them. Here sat the reason I’d finally returned to this area; to meet with one who was just like me.
The call from Joel Hawthorne had been a bit out of the blue. It had only been a few months since I’d gotten to meet his brother Seth. He’d shown up seemingly out of nowhere at my brother Michael’s home, introducing himself and wishing to meet all of us. While the entire thing was a huge surprise, it was also one of the most beneficial things that could’ve happened to us. For the first time, we were meeting others like ourselves.
These were more Nephilim, just from a different family line.
While the Hawthorne family was smaller and their abilities a little different, they were nonetheless mixed with an angel. Their leader, a Seraph who went by the name Micah, was under what they called the “Emerald Flame”. Joel was the oldest in his family, and close to what my father’s age would’ve been, though one wouldn’t have thought it by looking at him. He appeared to only be in his early twenties. Such is a perk of being what we are. Age truly is only a number.
He looked slightly different than his younger brother too. His hair was dark brown whereas Seth’s was blonde, though he did have the same vivid green eyes. I was certain that his wings were probably the same color, considering what I’d seen of ours.
Joel’s invitation to meet me here had been on the pretense of wanting us to meet after he finished a business conference. After all, we were the two oldest in our families, and he felt that we may share much in common.
Since I had nothing pressing to do at the time, I decided to take him up on the offer and call this a little vacation. Not only would it be time off for me, but I could use the excuse to revisit the place I’d once called home as a child and finally close that chapter of my life, even if I didn’t mention this second part to him.
“I’d imagine you have a lot of nostalgia being back here, considering you spent the early years of your life around here,” he commented as he sat back in the chair and took a sip of his tea.
“Somewhat. It’s been so long that I thought I’d forgotten a lot of it.” I admitted.
“I must say that this city is quite a bustling place too. It reminds me of Paris in some ways.” Joel continued.
“Ah yes, you are from there, aren’t you?” I recalled.
“I grew up in France, yes, but the move to Paris was something I wanted to do; although I do admit that I’m rather impressed by the States too. This is my first time coming to this country, so it’s been quite an experience.” Joel told me.
“It can be, and it’s pretty different when you go from state to state too, even some areas within them,” I responded.
“I’d imagine you’ve done quite a bit of traveling now, haven’t you?” Joel guessed.
“I have.”
“Yet another thing I’m sure we all have in common now. Besides, why not travel when you can?”
“Very true, and I do like seeing different places, whether on this side or the other.”
We both looked over as the waitress brought us the check, and Joel smiled as he pulled out his wallet and credit card.
“This one’s on me, considering you paid for our last meal,” he told me.
That was fair. We had been meeting up during the last few days and alternating paying for meals between us.
The two of us headed out of the cafe a few minutes later, still talking casually.
“I must say, I have been curious about something. You mentioned before that you grew up in Los Angeles. Was it near this area?” Joel asked me as we stood together near my rental car.
“It’s not that far. Only about ten miles out in the suburbs.” I answered.
“Really?” Joel looked thoughtful, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to see it. My flight isn’t for another three hours, so we have time.”
“You do realize how nosey you sound.” I chided him, although it was more in jest.
“I won’t deny that I have a bad habit of being nosey, and how can I resist seeing where some of my fellow Nephilim spent their early lives?” Joel responded, chuckling slightly at himself.
I returned his smile, “I guess I can’t argue against that. I’m guilty of it too, and I have been wanting to see what’s become of that home. So, if you’re up for the ride, then we can swing by there now. It shouldn’t take too long to get there.”
“I don’t mind it. I enjoy a scenic drive, and you did tell me the story of what happened there, so I’m interested in seeing it.”
“Fine with me,” I stepped around to the driver’s side, “Let’s get moving.”
Our ride to that area was a bit longer than I’d anticipated, taking nearly an hour. The highway was much larger and more congested now, with bumper-to-bumper traffic at times. I felt a bit relieved when I finally saw the sign for the turn-off. I’d always hated driving in conditions like that.
It wasn’t long before we were pulling into what was once the neighborhood that I’d called home, although it was quite different from what I remembered. Now run down with many vacant houses, it was a shadow of the place that I’d remembered it being.
“My, my. It seems that this place has changed drastically since your time here.” Joel commented as we parked the car near the end of the street and got out.
“It has,” I confirmed, “It’s sad too. This was once one of the most upscale places to live around here. But I guess time does change everything.”
The two of us walked down the long, cracked sidewalk as I looked at what was left of the house numbers. I was certain that this was the right street. Even run-down and with yards full of trash, these houses looked familiar to me.
It felt so strange to see this neighborhood like this. Maybe time did this to all places eventually, but this seemed a bit much. Perhaps such feelings came from nostalgia. That would make sense, even if I’d gone through decades of not wanting to face this place and the traumatic memories it held.
We finally reached the house that my family had once called home at the end of the road. The place was a shell of itself, much like the others that stood around it, and it was obvious that it had been abandoned long ago. The yard was overgrown and the outside of the house looked rundown. There was also a red notice in one of the windows beside the door stating that it was now condemned.
Yet I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. Stepping forward, I pushed open the rusted iron front gate. Joel remained quiet as he followed me to the porch. The grass was so overgrown that it had nearly swallowed up the walkway, and the porch creaked loudly as we continued up the three steps to the front door.
Joel frowned as he looked at the cracked windows beside it.
“What a mess,” he commented.
“It is. I hadn’t realized it had been abandoned for so long.” I admitted.
“Are you sure you want to go in?” Joel asked me.
“It’ll be fine. We won’t stay long, and we can be careful about where we step.” I answered.
The front door was unlocked and easily swung open after I turned the knob. We were greeted by the smell of must and mold from a house that had been closed up for decades now, yet the inside layout was just as I remembered it despite the absence of furniture and dirty conditions. The stairway was across the den room that we had entered, and across from them was the entrance to the kitchen, which led to the dining room and second den room. The two of us took our time walking around, being careful about where we stepped in case of weak floorboards.
I could recall this so well now. Letting out a sigh as I came into the kitchen, I walked over to the sliding door that led out to the backyard. I could see the overgrown yard perfectly even through the cracked glass, along with the rusting fence around it. The sight brought it all back.
I was the firstborn among my siblings. My father, Melvin Renaldi, was also our angel Malakai’s firstborn son. He’d married our mother, Elvira Murphy, at eighteen, and the two had become rather prominent citizens in Los Angeles shortly after moving there when I was five years old. My father worked in high-end real estate while my mother was a part-time model.
As I recall, they were a beautiful couple. My father was a handsome man with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes, while my mother was a vivacious auburn-haired woman with what many called the looks of a goddess.
Our family had grown very quickly after my birth. My brother Michael was born within a year of me, and the twins Gabrielle and Noel followed a year after him. But though we were a good-sized family, I can’t say that our lives were that great by the time we moved here. Our parents had a lot of trouble getting along due to a family curse that none of us were aware of at our young ages, and I’d assumed the role of watching after my younger siblings as much as I could as I got older to help protect them from the strife this curse was causing.
Our angelic bloodline had come from Malakai, who was our grandfather, although as children we didn’t understand it due to his having to return to the Heavens for a time. We’ve never completely understood all of what happened back then. We’d been told that it was payment for saving our grandmother’s and father’s souls and that Malakai almost fell in the process, but he didn’t wish to elaborate on it anymore, and we didn’t push to know more. Not with how sad he still became when he spoke of it.
But unfortunately for us, this also left the door open for more terrible things, and they started early on with my youngest sister Noel.
The backyard was a place that I hadn’t wanted to face since we’d left this house as children. It was from there that a neighbor kidnapped Noel when she and Gabrielle were only eight years old. I had been watching her and the others at the time but had gone inside to fix us some lunch. He took her when no one was looking, and it was over a week before she was found.
I shook my head as I remembered how broken my little sister was when she was brought home after that ordeal. Noel would never be the same, and I blamed myself for everything for years afterward. I’d failed at the most important job I had as a big brother. I couldn’t protect my youngest sibling, and she’d suffered horribly for it.
Yes, this was why I hated this house; because this was where the innocence in our lives had truly ended.
I’ve never been proud of the things that followed, no matter how hard I tried to tell myself that there was nothing I could’ve done. Those events still haunt me, even now.
We ended up moving back to my father’s hometown of Madison shortly afterward, and within five years, I would sprout wings, which would be the main symbol of our bloodline. Thankfully, they could be hidden within my back, so I was able to live a semi-normal life.
But it was also during this time that Noel had secretly begun developing her own abilities, and that the family curse overtook her. This was what began to tear our family apart again. She held a terrible influence over us, and almost turned me against my parents until Michael was finally able to break her spell. Once our father was able to regain control of the situation, he immediately sent her to live with our Aunt Dot in Tennessee. However, within three years, Noel made her way home, eventually causing our mother’s suicide before performing her own right in front of me and Michael.
I shook my head as I turned away. It was all over and had been over for the better part of fifty years, yet I’d just made myself remember it all.
Looking at the open doorway leading into the front den and door, I considered telling Joel that it was time to leave, though I took a moment to say a prayer for all of them. May they all rest in peace; Mother, Father, and Noel. Her spirit was finally free from pain, thanks to Malakai. At least now we could truly leave all of this ugliness behind.
“This really is something. Who would’ve imagined that the second generation of the Sapphire clan used to live here?” Joel said, sounding a bit thoughtful as he stepped beside me.
“It wasn’t always like this you know.” I reminded him.
“I know, but perhaps we should head out now. It’s getting late, and this probably isn’t the best area after dark.”
He had a point. Given what we’d seen, it may be dangerous there, even for us, and I wasn’t looking to have someone attempt to rob me.
“All right. I’ve seen enough, so let’s get moving.” I agreed.
Joel saw right through me, “Are you all right? I know being here has probably brought back a lot of bad memories.”
“It did, but I can’t simply keep burying them, and being here does feel like I can finally close that chapter along with knowing that my parents and baby sister are okay in the Heavens. That’s enough for me to feel better about things.” I assured him.
“I understand, and I’m glad to know they’re okay too. Why don’t we go ahead and get out of here? I hate ending this trip on a low note, especially when we’ve finally been able to meet.” Joel responded, flashing me a reassuring smile.
But as we stepped into the main den, both of us stopped as we heard a loud creak from upstairs.
“What was that?” Joel quietly wondered.
“I don’t know,” I whispered back.
Both of us stopped and listened, but everything was deathly quiet again. Could it have been an animal scampering up there? It seemed unlikely for how loud it sounded.
Feeling curious, I closed my eyes to sense what was around us. It looked like I was right. We weren’t alone in there.
Joel sensed it too, “Something’s in here.”
“I feel it, but it seems like it’s trying to hide.”
“Think we should check it out? It could be something that’s out to cause trouble.”
“Hmm,” I grunted, thinking it over. I knew that it might be a risk if we had to fight in this place, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny my curiosity about what was hiding or why, “It’s always better to be cautious, so let’s check it out.”
“It’s odd though. Whatever’s here feels similar to us.” Joel noted as we carefully made our way up the stairs.
I noted as we walked that they were covered in dust and some were dry rotting. But looking at that layer of dust, we could see what looked like small footprints. They appeared to be from bare feet much like a child’s. It made me wonder if this person had come here to hide from the gangs or perhaps one of the more unsavory creatures that enjoyed living in these kinds of areas.
Yet, I knew that Joel was right. The feeling we’d gotten wasn’t human, and on top of that, it felt so close to what we were. That was something that neither of us could ignore.
I looked down the hallway when we reached the top of the stairs. It had been so long, yet I could picture the room clearly. The hall split in both directions. Right led to what was my parent’s room, and left was to the three rooms that had belonged to myself, Michael, and my sisters. All of the rooms were decent-sized, although my parents’ room was the only one with a bathroom in it. We had all shared one beside Gabrielle and Noel’s room.
Joel looked towards my parent’s old room.
“It’s in there,” he quietly stated.
I nodded, quietly walking with him to the doorway. The door to the room was broken and hanging from the hinges, and we had to push it to the side to squeeze in there. There was only an old queen-sized bed in the middle of the dirty room, which was basically rotting.
Everything remained quiet as we slipped over to the doorway to the bathroom. The door was missing, and standing by the frame, I motioned for Joel to wait. He could guard the exit so that whatever this was couldn’t escape.
Peeking inside, I saw that everything looked as run down as the rest of the house. The air was musty, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose at it. Catching sight of the cracked mirror as I entered, I could almost envision my mother’s reflection in it as she stood in front of it and fixed her makeup.
How many times had I seen that as a young child? She was always such a beautiful woman, both inside and out. God, how I missed her, even after all the time that had passed.
But as I thought this, I realized that the tattered white curtain covering the bathtub moved slightly. The feeling of fear hit me all at once. Whatever was hiding in that tub was deathly afraid now.
Quietly slipping over there, I grasped the curtain and signaled to Joel as he watched from the doorway. I was ready to move if I had to, considering whatever was in there may go on the offensive and could have a weapon. After counting to three in my head, I yanked the curtain back.
However, we both froze as we saw what was hiding there.
Cowering in the dirty tub was a young boy who appeared to be around eight years old. His appearance immediately caught me off guard. He looked like he could’ve come from our family. His eyes were a brilliant sky blue, and he had white-blonde hair that fell around his face and shoulders. All he wore was an oversized dirty white shirt.
Joel stepped in to get a better look at him, “What in the world is this?! He’s just a child!” he said in disbelief.
“Strange. He looks so much like me and Michael at this age.” I responded absently.
I reached down to touch him, but the boy instantly reeled back, closing his eyes and covering his head with a small, fearful cry.
Joel knelt beside the tub, “It’s okay. We won’t hurt you.” he reassured him. He kept his tone gentle to try and coax the boy to calm down.
The boy opened his eyes and peeked up at us, still looking scared.
“You’re going to end up hurt if you stay here. This house is falling apart, and you’re far too young to be all alone. It’s okay. We only want to help you.” I promised him.
The boy finally spoke, his voice soft and sounding as light as air.
“Vous ne seriez pas?”
Joel and I looked at each other. He was speaking French and had a genuine accent. Thankfully, Joel was very used to the language due to where he lived, though I was also able to interpret it due to what I was.
“No, we won’t hurt you. We just want to help you,” he addressed him in French.
The boy hesitated a bit more, then slowly reached out and allowed us to pull him out of the tub. He was a very small boy, almost dwarfed in the large shirt he was wearing. He clung to me tightly as I held him and Joel helped move the old doors for us to get out, like he feared something terrible would happen to him if he let me go.
The two of us took the child back to my car, and I let Joel take the driver’s seat while I got into the back with the child. The boy looked up at me with curious blue eyes as I strapped him in. I couldn’t help but feel amazed as I looked at them. They looked so much like what ran in our family. How was this possible?
No, it should’ve been impossible. No other children had been born to the Renaldi line. I was sure of that.
Once we got back to my hotel room, Joel and I took the boy in and made him lie down to rest, then stepped outside to talk.
“Are you sure you can handle him on your own? I could try and catch another flight.” he offered as we stood by the door and spoke quietly.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve raised children before, and I don’t believe he’s dangerous. I’m more concerned about figuring out where he came from, and why he feels like he’s a Nephilim like us.” I responded.
“So am I. Something very strange is going on here. His looks can’t be a coincidence.” Joel agreed.
“I agree,” I nodded, “But it might be better just to let me and Malakai handle things for now. If there is something sinister going on, then we need to make sure to keep things quiet so that we don’t lead anything back to him.”
“Good point. I’ll tell you what. As soon as I get back, I’ll ask Micah to help me look into this too. While I know Malakai will, it never hurts to have extra help when it comes to finding information. If something’s amiss, then we should be able to catch it between our two families.” Joel promised.
“Sounds like a plan. I appreciate the help too.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re all the same kind, so I think of this as more family helping family.”
Family helping family.
He was right about that. All of us came from the same origins, even if our leaders were different Seraphs. In the end, we were like family, because we were all Nephilim.
I reflected on that after I said goodbye to Joel and re-entered the room. The child was still sleeping soundly in the large bed, which I was glad to see. At least I knew he was okay.
Looking at him, I almost felt like I was seeing another son or grandson. How odd for me to feel that way, considering it had been years now since I’d had one so young. My sons Raziel and Aiden were grown, and so was my grandson Noah.
Of course, I had raised Raziel by myself and I helped a lot in raising Noah. I guess one could say that I had a pretty good streak when it came to rearing children. I wondered if maybe I could do the same with this one if we couldn’t figure out where he’d come from.
I pulled my cell phone from my pocket, debating whether I should call anyone. Joel was going to wait on speaking to Micah until he arrived back, just to be safe. Yet I worried about the state the child was in. It might be better if someone could check him over to make sure that he really was okay.
But I was still hesitant. I knew nothing about this boy except that he was more than likely from France or somewhere where they mostly spoke French. A place in Canada perhaps? As Spanish had become the second language of the US, French was in Canada.
But then there was the question of how he’d gotten to Los Angeles. Given the state that he was in, I was certain that he’d run away from somewhere or something, not to mention that he’d been dressed only in that large white shirt. All of that didn’t bode well for where he’d come from.
“Excusez-Moi.”
Sky-blue eyes were looking at me as I turned back to the bed. The child seemed calmer now, though still cautious. I had a distinct feeling that he wanted to trust me but feared to. If things were as I was beginning to suspect, then he had every right to feel that way.
I slowly sat beside him, “I see you’re awake now. How are you feeling?” I asked him. I used French to make sure that he understood me.
“Okay.” the boy answered, sounding a little hesitant.
“Can you speak English?” I continued.
The boy nodded, “Little, but not that good.” he managed in English.
“I see. I won’t force you, but can you understand me now?” I said, using English again.
The boy nodded. I admit that it still felt very odd as I looked at him. Why did he remind me so much of myself?
Glancing at my phone, I decided to wait on calling anyone. First I would see how he did with me.
“Do you have a name?” I asked him.
“Aucun. I was not give one.” the boy admitted, his voice remaining soft.
“I see. Hmm. I can’t just call you ‘boy’ or ‘kid’.”
“But I have no nom.”
“Then I can give you one for now. How does that sound?”
“Tres Bien.”
I took a moment to think about this. I needed something that would fit the child. I was certain that I could figure it out. I had always been good with names. In fact, I had unintentionally picked out Noah’s name when Raziel and his wife were arguing over it and it fit him very well. Looking at the boy, I found that one name, in particular, was sticking out in my mind.
“How about Eli?” I suggested.
“Eli,” the boy repeated. He pointed to himself, “Me?”
“I think it fits you very well,” I took a moment to study him again, “Can you tell me how you ended up in that house?”
Eli looked down, holding the blankets at his waist a little tighter. He hesitated but managed to speak.
“I run there.”
“Were you running from someone?”
“Oui.”
“Who?”
“I not say,” Eli whispered, looking away from me.
But as he turned his head, I could see something just under his shirt on his collar bone. It looked like a deep purple bruise.
“Hey, are you hurt?” I asked, moving his shirt a little to get a better look.
He quickly jerked away from me. His blue eyes were wide, reflecting intense fear.
“Ne me touchez pas!” he cried.
That was the moment I became certain that something terrible had indeed happened to him. In fact, I realized that this was mirroring the past. Just my luck.
But I couldn’t leave him alone knowing this. It only made me want to help him more.
“It’s okay. I told you that I won’t hurt you. I just want to help you. Now please calm down.” I told him, keeping my tone as gentle as possible.
We sat there in silence for a few tense minutes. Eli was still trembling but slowly eased up a little.
“I don’t want that. No touches.” he whispered.
This was getting a bit more difficult. But what else could I do? I needed to make sure that he was okay. So I decided to compromise a little for now in hopes that he’d lighten up enough to allow me to take care of him.
“All right. I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to. But I do have to make sure that you’re not really hurt. You understand that, don’t you?” I reasoned.
Eli looked away again, “Oui, but I’m okay now. It’s not bad,” he whispered.
I was certain that this was not the time to argue with him. He was definitely very frightened over what had happened to him. So I decided that the best course of action at this point would be to get him out of Los Angeles. If someone was after him, then that would be the best thing to do. Unfortunately, I had another issue there.
Clothing.
The boy had no clothing at all say for the shirt he was wearing. That definitely wouldn’t do in getting him on a plane. Sighing, I knew that I had no choice now. I’d have to make a phone call to the one person who would be able to help me here. I just hoped that she wouldn’t question me too much about this until she got here.
I unlocked my phone and dialed Gabrielle’s number. I was hoping that she would be available now. She tended to be quite busy at her office. But then, this was a glamorous city. People often paid top dollar for a good plastic surgeon and she was the best in the business there, along with being the most secretive. Any stars that went to her were guaranteed their privacy.
Thankfully it seemed that luck was on my side. She answered right away.
“Well, this is a surprise. My oldest brother actually called me while he was in town,” she said. I wasn’t sure of whether she was happy to hear from me or making fun of me.
“I wouldn’t exactly ignore you and I’ve only been here for two days. How did you find out I was coming here anyway?” I asked her.
“Michael told me. He said that you were invited to meet with one of the Emerald Nephilim while he was still in the states. I know you weren’t thinking of heading back without seeing me too, were you?” Gabrielle replied.
So Michael had told her about Joel wanting me to come there. I couldn’t say that I was surprised. We had both missed Gabrielle since she’d moved here six months before.
“Of course not. I was planning on surprising you before I did. But something’s come up, and I need your help.” I responded.
“Really?” Gabrielle sounded concerned now, “What’s going on? Are you not getting along with Joel?”
“No, it has nothing to do with him, although he does about it and will help address it once he gets home. For now though, do you have time to come to the hotel?” I requested.
“Sure. I’m done for the day. Which one are you at?” Gabrielle replied.
“I’m staying at the Hilton. How soon do you think you could get here?”
“I could be there in half an hour.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you soon.”
Eli was watching me as I hung up with curiosity in his eyes.
“That was my sister, Gabrielle. She’ll be coming here soon to help you.” I explained to him.
“Help me?” Eli repeated.
“Well, we can’t get you out of Los Angeles looking like this. I doubt it would go over well to put you on a plane with me dressed in just that shirt.” I responded.
Eli looked down at himself, holding up his arms slightly. The shirt sleeves fell over his hands, demonstrating how small he was. I heard a small sound come from him and he looked down at his stomach.
“Excusez-Moi.” he apologized.
“I’ll take it that you haven’t eaten in quite a while. How about we get you something from room service?” I offered.
Eli smiled back at me, “Bien.”
I took out the small booklet from the nearby desk and opened up the menu. But as I handed it to him, he seemed to be confused. That didn’t bode well.
“Eli, do you not know how to read?” I asked him.
Eli shook his head, looking sad, “Aucun. I can’t read at all.” he confessed.
It seemed that I would have my work cut out for me when it came to him, but I’d deal with it as best as I could.
“It’s okay. We can work on that later. For now, let’s go ahead and get you something to eat. Is there something in particular that you like?” I inquired.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.” Eli whispered.
“It’s all right. I can figure out something that you’d like. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to order for someone.” I said as I skimmed through the selection.
“Someone? Your family?” Eli asked, looking back at me.
“Yes. My son Raziel used to do this all the time as a young child. He never could make up his mind when we went to restaurants together, even when he could read the menus.” I explained.
“Is he like you?” Eli asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Is he an angel too?”
So he could sense what I was. There could be no doubt about that one.
“Yes. My entire family is like this. Do you know others like me?” I replied.
Eli looked down, “No, and I don’t have wings anymore.”
I seriously considered holding him down and yanking that shirt away to look at his back when I heard that, but a knock at the door stopped me. Looking over at the clock, I realized that it had already been nearly half an hour. It was more than likely Gabrielle out there. So I stood up and went over to answer it.
“You’re early.” I commented as I let her in.
“Call it being way too curious. You usually don’t ask anyone for help with anything,” Gabrielle responded, pushing her long hair back, “So what’s going on?”
I nodded towards the bed where Eli was currently watching us, “Take a look for yourself.”
Gabrielle became very quiet. I knew she was probably as startled as I’d been when I’d first seen this boy.
Finally, she looked back at me, “Okay Raphael, what is this? Why is there a young boy in here and why does he look so much like you?”
“Joel and I found him hiding in the house where we lived as children. As for the resemblance, I have no idea right now. That’s something we’ll need to look into.” I answered.
“Our old house? But it’s practically falling down! How in the world did he end up in there?!” Gabrielle exclaimed.
“He says that he was running away from someone, but he won’t tell me who, and he’s not human either.” I went on.
“I figured that much,” Gabrielle said, laying a hand against her cheek as she looked at him, “I have to say wow though. He looks so much like you and Michael when you two were little.”
“Yes, he does, but that’s about all I know right now. He doesn’t have a name and he speaks mostly French. He doesn’t know how to read or write either, and on top of all of it, I believe he may be a Nephilim.” I explained.
“I guess you do need some help then. It’s not like you could just leave the poor boy here alone, especially if he’s like us and someone’s after him,” Gabrielle sighed. Eli kept watching her as she stepped over to him, and his eyes widen a bit in fear. Gabrielle was quick to try and calm him though, “It’s okay. I promise I won’t hurt you. I’m Raphael’s sister, and I want to help you too.”
“Gabrielle?” Eli guessed.
“That’s right.” Gabrielle said, giving him her best friendly smile.
I could tell that she was working on breaking the ice now. Not that it would be that hard for her. Gabrielle had always had a way of gaining the trust of others fairly easily.
Eli returned her smile, “Okay.”
I took a seat in the chair near them to watch. For now, I would allow Gabrielle to steer the situation. I watched as she opened the bag she’d brought in with her.
“Do you have a name you like to be called?” she asked him.
“Eli.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
Eli pointed at me, “He picked it for me.”
“I see,” Gabrielle pulled out a stethoscope, “Eli, do you mind if I check you over and make sure that you’re okay? I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure that you’re healthy enough to leave here.”
Eli hesitated but reluctantly decided to agree. However, neither of us expected what we saw as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it down. The child’s body was covered in deep bruises, and it was easy to tell what they were from.
But the most troubling thing we saw was his back. We could see the jagged remains of what were once wings coming out of his shoulder blades. There were only about five inches left of each, and they had blue feathers on them. This was definite proof that he was a Nephilim. But where in the world had he come from?
Gabrielle slowly set to work on checking him over, although he didn’t make it easy either as he kept pulling away here and there. Thankfully, all of his vitals seemed normal, and the damage to the ripped off wings didn’t seem to be affecting him.
She looked at me as she helped him pull his shirt back over his shoulders.
“Well, I guess we can both safely say that he is a Nephilim, but I’m really concerned now, Raphael. We need to talk to Malakai about him,” she said softly.
“I agree, especially given his age and the tint of those wings. Malakai’s told us before that Nephilim don’t change this young, and only our family has that color.” I agreed, standing up and walking over beside them.
Gabrielle frowned, looking back at Eli, “That’s true. But maybe it’s better to take one thing at a time, for now, just to be safe. We should go ahead and let him get cleaned up. I can call a friend to bring him some clothes so he can leave Los Angeles with you too. It’s kind of obvious that it’s not safe here for him. But I think you should call Malakai before you leave to give him a head’s up.” she suggested.
“I will be doing that, but maybe you could stay a while too. It seems like he’s been a little more comfortable with you around.” I suggested.
“That’s no problem. I don’t have anything lined up this evening,” Gabrielle replied. She gently rubbed Eli’s shoulder, “Why don’t we get you cleaned up while my friend brings you some clothes?”
Eli nodded, though he kept a tight hold of his shirt around him as she helped him up.
As for me, I was growing more apprehensive about all of this. I knew that there was much more to this then what we understood, and it deeply worried me. I couldn’t explain why, but I was certain that this boy was part of our family. But where had he come from, and what had happened to him?
I feared that the answers were going to be darker than we were imagining.
